‘Remembering Every Night’ Review – There’s Joy In The Journey

It’s not often that the world is given a film that asks us to slow down and look at the scenery and people we are surrounded by. Yui Kiyohara’s sophomore feature, Remembering Every Night, doesn’t just ask us to slow down, it shows us the value of taking this time instead of rushing through life like we have been taught to do. Kiyohara’s follow-up to her 2017 debut Our House tracks three women of various ages as they go about their individual days in the Tokyo suburb of Tama New Town, less than an hour from the heart of Tokyo. The film opens as 44-year-old Chizu (Kumi Hyodo) sets out to locate a friend after finding an old postcard. She is wandering the look-alike streets all day looking for this home. As she is out and about, 33-year-old gas meter inspector Sanae (Minami Ohba) stops and observes Chizu as she attempts to help some children reach something high in a tree in a local park. Chizu also runs across 22-year-old university student Natsu (Ai Mikami) as she is dancing on campus.

The community of Tama New Town contains upwards of 200,000 residents in just under 9 miles in length and up to 3 miles in width. One of the most populous suburbs in all of Japan has an incredible amount of people living right on top of one another, and this film highlights the positives of this kind of urban living. The three main women in Remembering Every Night have likely seen each other countless times throughout their lives as they’ve lived in Tama New Town, but this day just happens to be caught on film for the audience to experience alongside them. None of the women have a real face-to-face interaction throughout the day, but instead look on from a distance as the other goes about their business. 

A wonderful piece of this film is how it shows off a part of Japan that contrasts so greatly to the dark, neon chaos that Tokyo is frequently depicted as. Tama New Town is bright with sunshine and filled with green trees and parks. The streets are clean, and the shops are quaint. While this is likely not a primary intention of the story, Remembering Every Night makes a great pitch for how an urban society should look as opposed to the hustle and grime found in many American urban hubs.

There are many moments throughout the narrative that show this community as tight-knit, a place where people really care about their neighbors and do good for each other. A great example of this is when Sanae helps to locate an older man who has wandered from his home. No character goes through some massive change or has a major revelation that alters their lives meaningfully, but each is shown how every day itself is a journey that merits celebration. 

The thing people will most likely come away talking about from the film is Kiyohara’s patience and slow pace found here. The camera is allowed to linger on beautiful shots and move more like a panoramic instead of quick cuts between characters. The audience is afforded the opportunity to take in the reactions and changes in expression of Chizu, Sanae, and Natsu in real time. Each of these women are isolated in some way, whether by profession or circumstance.

The quiet, undemanding pace invites both the characters and the viewer to sit and leisurely watch as the environment around us comes into full view. Once we stop to see all that’s around us, all the people we pass every single day without giving a second thought to in our busy lives, we might realize we aren’t as alone as we think we are. Films like Remembering Every Night are desperately needed in the world we inhabit so we are reminded to take time to do just as the title says. Remembering requires taking the time to be present in the moments we want to remember as we get older. 

Remembering Every Night is currently playing in select theaters in NY and LA courtesy of KimStim. The film will expand to additional markets in the coming weeks. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKSfdGw4kug]